UPDATE: These prices sure have changed since 2011. Maybe time to update this post.
Bread machines are great. I’ve been using ours to make bread a few
times a week for a couple of years now. I have assumed that it is
cheaper to make bread at home than it is to buy it. I finally tried to
figure out if this is true.
The prices of the key ingredients vary quite a bit. For this
calculation I used the current prices from my local Metro store. Most of
the ingredients are sold by weight but are used by volume. Converting
kilos to cups or grams to teaspoons is not exact. I used the calculator
found on the Gourmet Sleuth website for the conversions.
I have not considered the cost of electricity. When I get the voltmeter back I will add it in.
Ingredient | Amount | Cost (in dollars) |
Salt | 1.75 tsp | .01 |
Flour | 4 cups | .60 |
Butter | 2 tbs | .17 |
Sugar | 2 tbs | .02 |
Powdered Milk
| 2 tbs | .14 |
Yeast
| 2 tsp | .36 |
Total Cost per Loaf | $1.29 |
So, cheaper than than store bought, and usually tastier. The other factor to consider is that I often have leftover bread because it goes stale before we can finish the loaf. Homemade bread goes stale much faster than store bought.